(SALT LAKE CITY, Utah) - For the second year in a row, Utah has emerged as the top state for business friendliness in the third annual Thumbtack.com Small Business Friendliness Survey.

“In Utah, we want to be known as a state where a business can grow and thrive in a friendly environment," said Gov. Gary R. Herbert. "We work closely with the business community to make sure the state is a partner in their success not a hindrance and that is why Utah is climbing to the top of these type of studies. We have one of the most diverse economies in the nation and a quality of life factor that is hard to match.”

The study surveyed more than 12,000 small business owners across the nation. Some of the key findings for Utah include:

• Utah excelled across every category for small business friendliness, earning a top five spot in all but one.

• Small businesses in Utah were the most optimistic in the nation about the outlook for their state economy, and they were the 6th most optimistic about the national economy.

• Utah tied with neighboring Idaho for the most A+ grades at 9.

• Small businesses reported improvement from 2013 both in the ease of hiring and hiring regulations.

• Utah had the second highest percentage of businesses in the country reporting that they "pay the right share of taxes."

• The top rated states overall were Utah, Idaho, Texas, Virginia and Louisiana. The lowest rated were Rhode Island, Illinois, California, Connecticut and New Jersey.

For more information about Thumbtack.com’s Small Business Friendliness survey, visit http://www.thumbtack.com/survey#/2014/1/states.

(SALT LAKE CITY, Utah) - For the second year in a row, Utah has emerged as the top state for business friendliness in the third annual Thumbtack.com Small Business Friendliness Survey.

“In Utah, we want to be known as a state where a business can grow and thrive in a friendly environment," said Gov. Gary R. Herbert. "We work closely with the business community to make sure the state is a partner in their success not a hindrance and that is why Utah is climbing to the top of these type of studies. We have one of the most diverse economies in the nation and a quality of life factor that is hard to match.”

The study surveyed more than 12,000 small business owners across the nation. Some of the key findings for Utah include:

• Utah excelled across every category for small business friendliness, earning a top five spot in all but one.

• Small businesses in Utah were the most optimistic in the nation about the outlook for their state economy, and they were the 6th most optimistic about the national economy.

• Utah tied with neighboring Idaho for the most A+ grades at 9.

• Small businesses reported improvement from 2013 both in the ease of hiring and hiring regulations.

• Utah had the second highest percentage of businesses in the country reporting that they "pay the right share of taxes."

• The top rated states overall were Utah, Idaho, Texas, Virginia and Louisiana. The lowest rated were Rhode Island, Illinois, California, Connecticut and New Jersey.

For more information about Thumbtack.com’s Small Business Friendliness survey, visit http://www.thumbtack.com/survey#/2014/1/states.